


Closing In

by Lady Lecter (RoNask)



Category: Hannibal Lecter Series - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2017-08-11
Packaged: 2018-12-13 22:11:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11769411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoNask/pseuds/Lady%20Lecter
Summary: Hannibal Lecter is back in the US and the news about his return shakes people.





	Closing In

‘Meat is back on the menu’

The death of Rinaldo Pazzi comes as a warning shot, cutting through the air, scaring the animals who were resting in the woods.  
A note comes, it talks about honey and lions and she deciphers his words: he’s coming. It gets her blood pumping for several reasons, some of them are not justifiable.  
The next warning comes in the form of Dr. Du Maurier.  
The sound of heels down the basement of the FBI followed by the sound of someone clearing their throat, that and the perfume she finds too expensive to be of any agent in the building. For a moment, she wonders when did her sense of smell become so accurate.  
Their eyes meet and Bedelia smiles. “Good afternoon, Agent Starling”  
“Good afternoon, Dr. Du Maurier”  
“It has been a while, I recognize. You look well”  
“Thank you, Doctor. So do you” the brunette replies.  
A pause.  
“Where is he, Doctor?” Clarice finally asks.  
Bedelia’s smiles grow. “Coming” she observes the so called “Hannibal’s House”. “He’s close, but not close enough”  
“How have you been, Doctor?” Starling questions and Bedelia is amused by the woman’s determination.  
“Behind the veil, Agent. Behind the veil, close to the beast.” Du Maurier answers proudly. “How have you been? Have your lambs given you peace, agent Starling?”  
“From time to time, yes”  
“Will you be on his case?” The doctor’s blue eyes study Clarice, in a glance the two seem to share a concern they probably shouldn’t have.  
“Yes, doctor” Clarice’s tone is reassuring, it tells Bedelia that the brunette wouldn’t have it any other way. “I’m leading the case, he’ll have more chances if it’s me. I promise not to harm him”  
“You still want to have him incarcerated”  
“It’s my job, Doctor”  
Du Maurier looks down for a moment. “Will you incarcerate me too, Agent Starling?”  
Bedelia’s tone caused a buzzing in Clarice’s mind, this kind of question is too familiar but the question doesn’t suit the voice. Dr. Du Maurier sounds like Dr. Lecter.  
“I have no reason to do so, Doctor,” Clarice said. “No evidence. You were never kidnapped or an accomplice of Dr. Lecter. You decided to be out of the country for seven years, no one reported you missing and you were not at any risk by the time you left the country”  
“He’ll have you kill him before he allows himself to be incarcerated”  
“Let’s hope I can convince him otherwise”  
“We both know you can’t, not even you… He’s coming for you while you hunt him, interesting case of reciprocity”  
“Why are you here, Dr. Du Maurier?”  
“You have to be careful,” the blonde said. “We both know they’ll try to stop you, try to kill him or allow Mason to do it”  
“The FBI will do its job, I’ll make sure of that”  
“Agent Starling, as much as I understand your loyalties, it surprises me how after all this time you still believe this institution after all it has done to you”  
Clarice doesn’t answer.

“Stay away from this case, Starling”  
“We have to investigate this!”  
“Drop it, Starling! We checked the Verger State, there was nothing there”

Starling storms out of the FBI building in no time, she’s fighting the door of her Mustang when a voice stops her.  
“You should leave it,” the voice says  
The brunette turns to find a brown haired man approaching her.  
“How can I help you, Mr. Graham?” Starling asks.  
“Leaving Hannibal Lecter, he’s a dangerous man”  
“He was kidnapped”  
“And Mason will have you killed if you try to stop him”  
“Dr. Lecter has the right to a proper trial, Mr. Graham”  
“You are suspended!”  
“If I wait, he dies!”  
“You’re not being reasonable! You let him escape again, he’ll hunt us”  
“I’m not letting him escape, Sir”  
“You won’t be able to contain him”  
“I can surely try”  
“You can surely die trying”  
“I’ll do what I have to do” she opens the door of her car, ready to get in, but he holds the door open.  
“Bedelia is in town, do you know that? She’s with him, she had been all this time” Graham says. “She’s just as twisted as he is”  
“We have no evidence against her, but I assure you that, if we find--”  
“You won’t. She’s too careful and so is he, he’s protecting her”  
“Trust me, Mr. Graham, if they’re hiding something, I’ll find it”  
“How does it feel? Lying to yourself like this every day? Do you even see what you are?”  
“Do you?” she throws right back at him.  
He lets go of her car door. “You’re putting all of us in danger”  
“I don’t intend to, Mr. Graham”  
“Hannibal doesn’t do things without a reason”  
“I know”  
“He has come for you, you’re too similar to him” he swallows nervously, a hand running through his face “Stay away, agent Starling before it is too late”  
“I’m not you, Mr. Graham”  
Her words make him stop and they face each other.  
“I know what I have to do,” she says, but he can’t see she still can’t see her reflection in the mirror, she can’t see Hannibal’s eyes behind her own. She can’t see the predator she has become.  
“No, you don’t. Let’s just hope we don’t pay the price for your blindness” he says stepping away from her car.  
Clarice closes the door and Will watches as she drives away.

Bedelia Du Maurier was nowhere to be found when the news about Clarice’s disappearance came out. The younger woman was considered a missing person, not a kidnap victim.  
Will Graham waited in his house, scotch in hand. He’d hear from them, hopefully, he’d only hear not see any of them ever again. He hoped Jack Crawford was smart enough not to go looking for Starling. He wondered if Clarice’s body would show up someday, he didn’t think so. Hannibal would probably make her see her reflection before he allowed her to be wasted, if she was lost he would be really upset.  
Graham took a sip of his drink wondering just which was more dangerous: Bedelia, Hannibal or Clarice? He found he didn’t want to know the answer.


End file.
